Tuesday 7th September 2021, NWCFL First Division South

Cammell Laird 1907 0 (Mullally sent off 32)
West 5 (Delaney 15, 44, Gabidon 28, Davis 53, Elliott 62)
Att: 161

Free-scoring West registered another big win at Cammell Laird to reach the First Division South summit for the first time this season.

Leaders New Mills were not in action and West seized the opportunity to go top with a dominant display on Merseyside. A Liam Delaney brace, along with Dontai Gabidon, Rhain Davis and Ben Elliott, secured a sixth win in a row.

Chris Rowley’s side have now hit 25 goals in their last six games, but the West boss will be just as pleased with a first clean sheet in three matches, as Andrew Jones was a virtual spectator.

West made a blisteringly-fast start on Merseyside with Sam Heathcote and Elliott both going close in the opening stages, but the visitors didn’t have to wait long for a first goal of the night. Rhain Davis’ superb reverse ball found Delaney on the edge of the box, and the West midfielder hammered the ball past keeper Casey Shakeshaft and into the bottom corner.

Dontai Gabidon then grabbed his second goal in as many games as West went further ahead just before the half-hour. Elliott did well to hold the ball up in the final third, before Gabidon cut in from the left and beat Shakeshaft at his near post.

Almost immediately after Gabidon’s goal, the Cammells were reduced to ten men as Sam Mullally was dismissed for an agricultural challenge in the centre circle. And West made the advantage count in the dying embers of the first period as Delaney continued his hot streak in front of goal, taking an opportunity to shoot from 30 yards and being rewarded as his shot nestled in the bottom corner.

The second half started in the same vein with West four ahead within eight minutes of the restart. Gabidon did excellently to progress down the left wing and after his cross caused a crowd scene in the Cammells box, Davis squeezed a shot into the corner of the net.

Elliott then claimed his 10th goal of the season, and his fifth in three games, just after the hour – Davis and Matthews combined with a short corner, and Elliott got in ahead of Shakeshaft to glance the cross into the net.

With just under half an hour still remaining, West had the opportunity to rack up a biggest score of the season with substitutes Aarron Grewal and Ezeikel Eme going close to a sixth, while Connor Hancock was inches away from what would have been a spectacular first goal in West colours. But five was enough to propel West into top spot, and attention now turns to Saturday’s FA Vase tie at home to Nostell Miners Welfare.

West: A. Jones, Cook, Hancock, Delaney (Swift 66), Dibble, Heathcote, Matthews (Grewal 63), C. Jones, Elliott, Davis, Gabidon (Eme 56). Not used: Tinker, Ryan.

Eckersley’s Plumbers & Locksmiths Player of the Match: Liam Delaney.

Sam Heathcote post-match reaction